• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

Omnibus Corporate Drone Learned Helplessness Thread

H

HoosierDeac

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 8, 2011
Messages
1,139
Reaction score
96
Ok, so I've been doing the big corporate job thing for a little while now and I find myself wondering about people who are high up on the ladder, what motivates them? Is it just money or power? Like how do they bring themselves to actually care about any of this s**t enough to put in the work to move up the ladder? Long time corporate folks, what's your motivator that got you to where you are?
 
HoosierDeac said:
Ok, so I've been doing the big corporate job thing for a little while now and I find myself wondering about people who are high up on the ladder, what motivates them? Is it just money or power? Like how do they bring themselves to actually care about any of this s**t enough to put in the work to move up the ladder? Long time corporate folks, what's your motivator that got you to where you are?
Click to expand...

On the legal in-house side, I perceived the higher up attorneys and VPs to be motivated by: (1) being able to look down on the largest number of people possible, (2) having a larger pool of people to treat like absolute dogshit at your whim, (3) obtaining as much money to convert into items that would broaden the number of people you could look down on/treat like shit.

There were rare exceptions, however they were often so cloistered by the rampant assholes that they weren't willing to form work relationships.

Fortune 50 company.
 
HoosierDeac said:
Ok, so I've been doing the big corporate job thing for a little while now and I find myself wondering about people who are high up on the ladder, what motivates them? Is it just money or power? Like how do they bring themselves to actually care about any of this s**t enough to put in the work to move up the ladder? Long time corporate folks, what's your motivator that got you to where you are?
Click to expand...

Yes. People want a high salary and stability. What's the alternative? Most aren't willing to take a big risk for high upside. We see the stories of the guys who make it on that path, never the ones who don't.

The people I see at the higher levels usually have minimal real work. They are in constant meetings and they delegate to others to get things done. They increase their compensation via stock options that most employees don't have. They have unlimited PTO. They have select access to bonuses. Sure, they have to deal with some BS but it is usually about people management and not the actual work itself. If you are a good politician, you are setup well.

Middle management gets the worst of both worlds - they still have actual project and client responsibilities, BD, staffing, and people management. But there is a logjam ahead of them to move up and you aren't really paid that well for the amount of varied work you are doing across disciplines. You can also still get caught up in something that a junior team member fucks up, that wouldn't touch someone more senior. There is also limited upside with minimal stock and bonus potential. You are still just a wagie, even if you are well-compensated.

These are the people I see that are the most cynical, by far. They either stay long enough to become VP+ or you constantly job-hop for more money.
 
My goal in moving up the chain is to give me more flexibility and work life balance. Money is nice but my mortgage is my mortgage.
 
PaddyWF said:
Middle management gets the worst of both worlds - they still have actual project and client responsibilities, BD, staffing, and people management. But there is a logjam ahead of them to move up and you aren't really paid that well for the amount of varied work you are doing across disciplines. You can also still get caught up in something that a junior team member fucks up, that wouldn't touch someone more senior. There is also limited upside with minimal stock and bonus potential. You are still just a wagie, even if you are well-compensated.
Click to expand...

Can I just put this on my resume? F'ing nailed it.
 
I keep moving up because I don't trust someone else to not fuck it up in that position.
 
DeaconCav06 said:
My goal in moving up the chain is to give me more flexibility and work life balance. Money is nice but my mortgage is my mortgage.
Click to expand...

You are hoping for more work/life balance as you are promoted? Good luck.
 
Donkey Deac Doug said:
On the legal in-house side, I perceived the higher up attorneys and VPs to be motivated by: (1) being able to look down on the largest number of people possible, (2) having a larger pool of people to treat like absolute dogshit at your whim, (3) obtaining as much money to convert into items that would broaden the number of people you could look down on/treat like shit.

There were rare exceptions, however they were often so cloistered by the rampant assholes that they weren't willing to form work relationships.

Fortune 50 company.
Click to expand...

Ah the jaded musing of large publicly traded in-house lawyer. I hear yah!
 
Aren't in-house lawyers just the ones who couldn't hack it as ambulance chasers and LLC formation experts in Greensboro ?
 
One thing worse than moving up in the corporate world is not moving up in the corporate world.
 
yeah i have a lot better work life balance now than i did 10 years ago
 
Following Creamy on Twitter:

 
Looks like Creamy's territory is the whole US !
 
It helps if you enjoy picking fairly easy to measure data (that oversimplifies highly complex activities) by which to set and accomplish “goals” for others to collectively achieve. Especially if you’re good at creating and utilizing loopholes and ignoring the unintended consequences, at least for as long as possible, of the hoop-jumping your efforts inspire.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top